NFL Draft Countdown: Cincinnati Bengals
Welcome to the NFL Draft Countdown, where each day until the draft on April 25-26, I will look at an NFL franchise to see what its transactions have been and what its needs are. Today, the focus is on the Cincinnati Bengals.
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Cincinnati Bengals
- Draft Position: 6
- 2008 Season Result: 4-11-1 (3rd in AFC North, Missed Playoffs)
- 2008 Head Coach: Marvin Lewis
- 2009 Head Coach: Marvin Lewis (46-49; 0-1)
2009 Player Transactions
Players Lost:
- Victor DeGrate
- Dexter Jackson
- James Blair
- Marcus Brown
- Corey Mays (KC)
- Stacy Andrews (PHI)
- Ryan Fitzpatrick (BUF)
- Eric Ghiaciuc
- T.J. Houshmandzadeh (SEA)
- John Thornton
- Glenn Holt (MIN)
- John Busing
Players Re-signed/Acquired:
- Tank Johnson
- Naufahu Tahi
- J.T. O’Sullivan
- Laveranues Coles
- Cedric Benson
- Darryl Blackstock
- Jamar Fletcher
- Orien Harris
- Chris Crocker
- DeDe Dorsey
- Shayne Graham (Franchise)
- Ryan Plackemeier
- Daniel Coats
2009 Draft Picks
- 1-6
- 2-6
- 3-6
- 3-34
- 4-6
- 5-6
- 6-6
- 6-36
- 7-6
- 7-40
- 7-43
Analysis & Outlook
How badly did the Cincinnati Bengals miss QB Carson Palmer last year? Let’s let the number speak for themselves: last in scoring, last in total offensive yards, 30th in passing yards and 29th in rushing yards. Their defense did better but still allowed a lot of points. The good news is that the Bengals have 11 picks in this year’s draft so plenty of ammunition to pick talent and/or move around the board.
On offense, the Bengals will look at upgrading the T and C position. Also, they could look at adding a RB and WR to boost their offensive productivity.
Defensively, the Bengals need to improve a pass rush that produced just 17 sacks last season. They will also look into adding more depth for their LB corps. With the departure of FS Dexter Jackson, the Bengals will also look into replacing him.
In the first round, I expect the Bengals to focus on either a T like Andre Smith or Michael Oher or a DE like Brian Orakpo or Everette Brown. It’s more likely they’ll go with a T and come back in the second round for a DE like Robert Ayers or Larry English. In the later rounds, they have the picks to go after a C like Max Unger or Eric Wood in round 3 and S Rashad Johnson in round 4. In the later rounds, they can take their chances on LBs, RBs and WRs to add depth.
It remains to be seen if the Bengals offense can return to form without WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh. There are also trade rumors surrounding Chad Johnson Ocho Cinco and if they pull the trigger on that trade, it would leave the Bengals in a weak spot unless they get good compensation (comparable to the Roy Williams trade Detroit and Dallas made). The Bengals play in a defensively strong division with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens so they’d better get their offensive act together. That wraps up my look at the Cincinnati Bengals, feel free to leave a comment!
